KARACHI – At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured today when a packed Pakistani intercity train ploughed into carriages from another express that earlier derailed, said officials.
An unknown number of people are still trapped in the tangled wreckage near Daharki in northern Sindh province, said a railway spokesman, adding that rescue workers have called urgently for specialist equipment so that victims can be reached.
“The site is far, and that’s why we are facing some trouble in the rescue work,” he said, adding that at least six wagons were destroyed.
He said the accident happened when the Millat Express heading from Karachi to Sargodha derailed before dawn, spilling onto a track carrying the Sir Syed Express from Rawalpindi in the opposite direction.
Umar Tufail, a senior police officer in Daharki, put the death toll at 40 for now.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he is “shocked” by the accident, and promised a full inquiry.
“Ordering comprehensive investigation into railway safety fault lines,” he tweeted.
Rail accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometres of track and trains from former colonial power Britain.
But, the network has seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
Mobile phone footage shown on television from the crash site showed mangled wreckage, with several green Pakistan railway carriages lying on their side.
The accident happened in a remote part of the province on a raised section of track surrounded by lush farmland.
At least 75 people died when a train caught fire while travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi in October 2019.
Two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Karachi in 2016, killing 21 people. – AFP, June 7, 2021
